Silver and Gold
by theGullwing
Summary: Paine is in love with Rikku, who is still sad since Yuna left. Paine has to loosen up to cheer her up, and win her heart. Paine x Rikku shoujoai. Happy reading! M rated for later stuff...
1. I will always be there for you

**Author's note**: Hello, I've been reading a lot of FF fanfic and finally decided to try and write one. This is a story about Paine falling in love with Rikku. Shoujo-ai, girl x girl, so if you don't like it then too bad for you. This is the first fanfic ever for me so please review with critisism and tell me how to get better.

**Author's new note: **I'm back after almost 3 years and decided to make this into something good.. So I'll be editing my grammar errors and hopefully... bring you all a bunch of new chapters!

**  
Disclaimer**: I don't own any characters and all that. It's just borrowed from squaresoft etc

**Silver and Gold **

**Chapter 1: I'll always be there for you.**

Paine sat on the deck of the Celsius, enjoying the nice warm day. It was a peaceful day. It could have been the weather that caused the extraordinary peacefulness, but it probably was because Brother and Buddy had come down with some virus and had to sleep all day. Shinra had said they'd be down for a few days so Paine and Rikku now had a bit of time off from sphere hunting.

Paine thought about Rikku, how she had been feeling down ever since Yuna went to live with her blitzing boyfriend on Besaid. How her usual, hyperactive, bubbly and talkative self had become notably sadder and even though she acted like nothing was wrong, the smile she usually wore had somehow lost its energy.

But even long before Yuna left about a month ago, Paine had been thinking a lot about Rikku in a way she never had before. Over a few months she had more and more started seeing her in a different way, and now as time had rolled along, she had realised and admitted it to herself: She was in love with Rikku. She loved everything about her. Even the things that she always had thought so annoying. Like the way she was always hyperactive and giggly, how she always made up silly nicknames for her and pulled pranks. It was these things she now realised was what made her into the wonderful person she was, and was the most attracted to. And of course, her smoking hot body and revealing clothes didn't exactly turn her off either. Paine now sat beside the seagull on the front of the deck, and just melted in a mix of sun and warm thoughts about Rikku.

"Rau drana! Enjoying yourself?" Paine heard a sweet voice say right next to her ear.

"Rikku!" She let out as she jumped from the shock. She blushed a bit when she turned to face the al bhed, as she had just been thinking about the thief in a rather inapropriate way.

Rikku let out a few giggles, seeing the warrior actually startled for the first time since they met. "Did i scare the big bad warrior?" She asked hopefully while poking her softly on the shoulder.

"45 Rikku, your respect points are taking a beating." Paine exclaimed, but couldn't fight a small smile when she realized the thief had succeeded to sneak up on her for the first time.

"What are you doing here?" Paine said, accidentally using her usual, cold tone of voice. _Damn, why did I have to use that tone when i know she just came to talk, Yuna's not around so of course she wants to hang with me. I have to stop being so darn cold around her! She is feeling sad dammit._

"I just wanted some company, just someone to talk to and I thought..." Rikku voice trailed off and Paine couldn't help but to hear the hurt in it.

She sat down beside Paine and leaned a bit towards her, making Paines heart beat a little faster. She decided to try and be more comforting and just let her defenses down for a bit. She hated seeing Rikku sad, and now she wanted to be able to be more than just a grumpy warrior all the time. She spoke in al bhed, trying to make the younger girl feel more comfortable.

"Oui secc ran y mud, tuh'd oui? Oui secc Yuna." She said to the blonde in the softest tone she could muster.

"Yeah... Dont you Paine?" She asked quietly.

"Of course I miss her sometimes." She answered truthfully.

There was a brief moment of silence as Paine tried to put together something to lighten up the mood. "Hey Rikku, want me to go kidnap her back for you?" Paine asked with a little smile, trying to sound cheerful. Rikku just shook her head.

"Why not?" Paine asked.

"Because that would make her unhappy, and that's not what I want. She deserves to be with him. He makes her so happy, and she deserves that. One day you'll find someone too and then I wont stop you from leaving the ship." She said and sighed. _I already have, and I will never leave your side. _Paine thought to herself, wanting to say it out loud. But she couldn't make the words come out. _Damn it, I can't tell her that! What if she becomes disgusted with me or even wants me off the ship. I cant risk it, I can't risk losing her._

All these thoughts stopped her from voicing her feelings for the blonde and instead she told herself that she would have to think about that stuff later and right now, just focus on cheering Rikku up. She needed her bubbly little al bhed back so decided to be honest with her. At least about some things.

"When Yuna left, I was really happy for her, but mostly I felt sad." She paused and Rikku looked up at her. "But the bad feelings didn't last very long, because... True, I was separated from one of the best friends I've ever had. But I started to look at the whole thing differently." She took another pause and as she looked up, her eyes met Rikku's.

"Sure she left for Besaid, but it's not like we can't see her ever again, and secondly... And when I realised this, I couldn't really feel sad anymore... The thought was that you would still be there Rikku. That thought made me realise that since you are here, there's no reason for me to feel down... _Wow that was a lot of words coming from me, I just hope I didn't say anything that sounded too stupid.  
_

Rikku just kept staring at her and Paine could soon see tears starting to run down her cheeks. _Oh no... I made her cry! Stupid, stupid Paine!_

Then without warning, Rikku attacked her with a soft hug and pressed a tearstained cheek against her bare shoulder. Paine blushed fiercely at this sudden intimacy and hesitated for a moment, but then decided to return the hug and rubbed Rikku gently on the back. She heard Rikku whisper a "Thank you so much for being here for me." Paines face burned hot from the blush she got from hearing Rikku's words, and said before she had time to stop herself: "I will always be there for you Rikku."

Even though she didn't want this to end ever, Paine decided to break the hug before she did anything stupid, like kiss her. Her heart raced and she noticed that Rikku was sitting on her lap, still softly nuzzling into the embrace. She loosened Rikku's grip gently and faced her. _Damn it stop blushing already! _

"No more being sad, ok... And no more crying." She said softly but firmly as she wiped Rikku's tears off with a gloved hand. Rikku nodded and gave her a real smile without any hints of the sadness.

"Good." Paine said and couldn't help but smile warmly at Rikku's happiness. Then she realized Rikku still sat on her lap and blushed a little but raised an eyebrow to the blonde sitting there. "You comfy Rikku?" She asked, unable to stop smiling.

"Oh..sorry. Umm I'll get off your lap now." The al bhed got off and giggled. "Thanks again Painey." She said happily as she stood up.

"Hey I'm gonna go grab a bite! Wanna join me?" She suddenly said.

"Sure, I haven't eaten since breakfast." Paine stood up and walked up to her. Rikku smiled and ran ahead. Paine called out to her. "Hey Rikku!"

"Fryd?" She said as she stopped dead in her tracks, tripping herself. Paine chuckled at the little blonde's clumsiness but then put on a more serious face and walked up to her.

"You know I dont show much emotion and usually keep kind of hard and cold. And... there is a reason for that, but I feel I can let my guard down with you and all that and... But to get to the point: Could you please not tell people about me being all soft and comforting." She said this with a rather serious face and thought._ It's true, its time to let her in.  
I mean I trust her dont I? Of course I do, otherwise I wouldn't have fallen head over heels in love with her...And besides, I really should stop being so cold because if I keep it up, I might push her away...I can drop my guard with her.. Like Rikku always says: "Loosen up a bit Painey!"_

"Of course I won't! Trust me Painey, I'm too happy right now that you let me see this side of you. I wouldn't want to risk you killing me for ruining your reputation as an ice-cold-hard-core-ass-kicking superchick." She said and giggled. "Dont worry, your secret is safe with me! But come on, I'm starving!" She said as she ran ahead into the ship.

Paine walked after her. _She is happy, and I'll just have to be enough to keep her happy. _She thought as she smiled, feeling that everything was perfect. Well...almost everything. She still wanted Rikku...

Al Behd Translations:

Rikku: "Hey there! Enjoying yourself?"

Paine: "You miss her a lot, don't you? You miss Yuna."

Rikku: "What?"

**There you have the first chapter. I've got three more which i will put here if you like it. Please R&R people! **


	2. The best night

**A/N**: Well here's the second chapter already. I update now so you'll have more to read and hopefully review on. ;) It's a little longer but I hope it's not too bad.

I don't own any characters and stuff and all that etc etc...

**Chapter 2: The best night.  
**

Rikku got into the elevator first, and waited for Paine to come in before she pressed the button for the cabin. She met the crimson eyes of the warrior as she entred the elevator and smiled brightly, thinking about what her friend had told her. _It's true what Paine said. I still have her and she has me, were the best of friends. And she's never ever been this kind and.. and cute to me! We don't need Yunie._

She pressed the cabin button and the elevator started to move. She looked at Paine and saw her looking back, smiling, a real smile! Rikku had almost never seen her look this happy, so she asked her. "What'cha smilin' about?" Paine just shook her head and chuckled.

"Well I guessed, since I cheered you up, I was permitted to smile too but if you want me to stop..." She replyed with a raised eyebrow, the smile still playing on her lips. Rikku just stuck her tongue out at Paine's apparent irony and jumped out of the elevator as soon as the doors slid open. She then ran ahead past the bar, giving her order to the hypello when passing him. The hypello mumbeled something about "Alwaysh in a hoorry, mish Rikkoo." and started to prepare her meal. Rikku sat herself down at the table in the corner where the little stage used to be, and watched as the silver haired girl walked over and sat down in front of her, giving barkeep her order on the way.

"Shinra said the boys were gonna be down for three days. That means they should be up by tomorrow, ready to send us on another sphere hunt. So, let's do something extra fun!" Rikku said and rolled her eyes up, trying to come up with a plan for the evening. _If we weren't stranded here with a sick pilot we could've totally gone and done something in Luca. Well we'll just have to party it out on the ship, just the two of us! _

The girls' meals arrived and they left Rikku's question unanswered for the moment, both being too hungry to leave the food another second. When both of them were finished, they shot the plates to the side and Paine restated Rikku's question about how to make their last night off something fun.

"Oooh! I know, I know, we can get the old karaoke machine out and go a little crazy!" Rikku said and bounced in her chair.

"And could you please tell me what evil deed I have done to deserve that." Paine asked with a very sceptical look on her face. But Rikku wouldn't budge.

"Oh come on! It's fun, and everyone will be sleeping or be somewhere else. It'll just be you and me and that machine!" Rikku said trying to convince Paine. "We'll even wait for barkeep to leave. Please..."

"No Rikku, really I hate karaoke. Especially if the songs are old and... stupid." Paine said sounding a bit more serious about it.

"Well then Dr.P, you think of something funny to do." Rikku giggled at the look she recieved, calling her by her most hated nickname.

"Don't call me that or I'll tickle you to death." Paine said with a smirk. "But yeah I've got an idea of what we could do. If this ship was moving I'd take you out gambling in Luca, but it isn't. So I thought, why not just play a little card, have a few drinks, listen to some music and just hang out here?" She said looking at Rikku. _Wow, Is this really the Paine I know? She's never ever given a good proposition of what to do on free time before, well except for sparring and killin' stuff... But this is just too great! _

"That's a great idea Painey! Even though mine was better but I guess playing cards is always fun. Especially with drinks involved!" She gave the warrior a beaming smile and a wink. "But first, I want some ice cream before this dinner is over." She said skipping over to barkeep. "Hey barkeep, why dont'cha bring me some ice cream, then you can take the evening off." She said and gave the hypello a cute look.

"Oollright mish Rikkoo." He replyed and went to get the ice cream.

When Rikku was finished with her dessert she turned to Paine again, who had just been sitting back in her chair, still wearing a hint of the unusual but rather beautiful smile. She then suddenly got up, grabbed their empty plates and walked over to the bar. She put the plates on the desk and went behind it to get something good out, to use for mixing drinks. _Well, now we just need a deck of cards don't we! _Rikku thought and went up the stairs in search for a deck of cards. After a fair few minutes of looking she still hadn't found as much as a single playing card. _Oh poopie! Fro dra ralg is there not a single deck of cards on this tynh airship?_

She pondered for a moment and then got an idea. Excited, she went into her equipement drawer and took out the "lady luck" dressphere. She changed into hers, and with the dress came a bunch of dice and a deck of cards! She threw the sphere down to Paine who skillfully caught it and raised an eyebrow. "Nice idea with the dressphere and all but.. do we really need two decks?" She asked looking at the sphere with a frown.

"No we don't! But if I'm to wear this stupid dress just to get the cards, it's not more than fair that you should wear yours too! Besides, unlike me you look really great in yours!" The last part was very true. She kind of liked seeing Paine in her elegant, blue and black lady-luck dress, it suited her. She saw Paine look at the dressphere again and... wait, was that a blush? _Wow, this last week she really has become more...more... ah well she seem to have changed for the better! Before she would have snapped at me and taken at least five respect points, now she looks like she likes being complimented! I knew there was a real human girl in there somwhere! Go Painey!  
_

"Ok... Just this once though. But don't expect it to be a habit, me running around in this just because you like it." Paine finally said, sounding a little embarrased.

"Sure Painey, just for tonight!" Rikku said and giggled at the black clad warrior's now apparent blush. Paine just shook her head and got changed. She walked up to the table with the drinks and then went to dim the lights a little, and put on some music. It was nice, jazzy, instrumental music like the music she had heard at the gambling houses in Luca. Rikku went and sat down at the table again and Paine soon joined her.

"So Rikku, what do you want to play?" Paine asked as she sipped her drink and started to shuffle the cards.

"I don't know really. I'm not much of a gambler so I was hoping you could decide and teach me some games. I know there are a lot of different pokers and other stuff, but I don't know how to play." Rikku said looking at Paine's cards, flying through her hands.

"Well, actually it was a few years since I had the time, or even wanted to gamble or play cards... I don't really remember the rules for any good game... What do we do?" Paine asked with an embaressed smile, scratching the back of her head. There was a brief silence. _Hey how should i know what to do? This was your idea Dr.P! Why think of something to do and get all dressed up when...Fyed! E'ja kud ed! _

"Oh! I know what to do! Lets take the stuff you know, then just make the rest of the rules up as we go along! It'll be so funny!" Rikku said sounding hopefull and bouncing up and down in her chair as she said it. Paine looked at the thief with a mix of amusement, disapproval and what Rikku identifyed as resigning to a really stupid thing Rikku proposed. _Yes! she has no better idea so she is accepting mine! This is going to be such a fun, but silly night!  
_

"Yessss! Thanks Painey, now how do we start?" Rikku asked, and Paine started to explain.

A few hours and a few drinks later they were both laughing out loud, playing a wierd mix of poker, please go fish, and some other games not a person in spira could've heard of before. Rikku looked at Paine sitting in front of her, laughing a real, clear laughter that she hadn't heard even once before. It really suited her, this new, happy face. She wondered why she had always been this silent, cold warrior all the time. She said she had a reason for it, and Rikku thought that maybe she could sneak it out of her now, when she was in a really good mood.

"Hey Paine, why didn't we do stuff like this before, when Yunie was here? Why are you so serious and distant all the time?" Rikku asked softly when the game took a little pause. Paine's smile died down a bit.

"Well I... I can't tell you..." She hesitated, making Rikku feel a little hurt. When paine noticed Rikku's dropping eyes, she spoke again, sounding apologetic. "Well... I mean, I can't tell you now because it would ruin this nice mood. But I promise Rikku, I'll tell you some other time... All I can say now is, well... Some things happened... But, I think I could leve those things behind me now..." Paine trailed off, but turned and she smiled up at Rikku again with a face that pleaded that she drop it for now.

"Let's just get back to the game so I can win those hi-potions back, ok?" Paine asked, giving Rikku another big smile as she started to deal for another round of Rikkuish Paineful Poker. Rikku nodded and smiled back.

"Ok, but I'm gonna hold on to that promise! I wanna know everything about you Paine!" Rikku said and could swear she saw Paine blush again. _Ooooh! she is so sexy when she blushes like that! Did I just say she was sexy out loud? No I just thought it... Whait, I think she is sexy now? I haven't had that much to drink!... But it's true... She is pretty hot... Especially those crimson eyes, so fierce yet so gentle... Fryd? Fryd ys E drehgehk? Why the heck is Paine on my mind in THAT way!? ...But she was being very cute to me today...she has been friendlier this last week... and she said she was always going to be there for me... That's really special and she's always..._

Rikku trailed off in thoughts about Paine, but Paine threw a card in her face and laughed softly.

"Hey don't fall asleep on me! I'll take your respect points to the last one." Rikku landed back in reality with a big splat and jumped to her feet.

"I'm not sleeping!" She said and blushed, meeting the ruby gaze of the person she just trailed off in fantasy about. She felt uncomfortable and still she couldn't help but to like the thought of her and Paine together. Or rather, she couldn't get it out of her mind.

She had been questioning her own sexuality since last year, but thinking of the silver-haired girl now somehow confirmed her suspicions. _It's not bad is it? I mean I'll just not tell her I'm attracted to her and all is gonna go well... Isn't it? _She asked herself, then looked back at Paine and smiled a wierd half-smile.

"You look really tired Rikku. Maybe it's time to go to bed?" Paine said and tilted her head. Rikku nodded and gave her a big yawn in response. After cleaning up a little bit they left the rest for barkeep to deal with. Rikku then started to walk a zombie-like walk towards the stairs, feeling the sleepiness coming down on her like a shoopuff from the sky as the word "bed" mentioned by Paine, echoed through her head.

"Hey Rikku." Paine said, stopping her with a gentle hand on her shoulder. She turned around and faced the crimson eyed warrior.

"Even though a bystander could've easily taken this as just another fancy dress party, I just wanted to say that..." Paine then hugged her tight and continued in a more sincere tone: "It's a long time since i had this much fun. Thank you for the best night in a long time Rikku."

At this, Rikku couldn't help but to blush a deep shade of raspberry red and just answered: " Anytime Painey, anytime..." And as the taller girl let her go, she turned quickly to avoid Paine seeing her face and she walked up to her bed. She undressed and cuddled down under her sheets without saying anything else. _Wow... Paine really looked happy tonight. I wonder if she realises how awsome everything will be now if this continues. And this new Painey is really something... I mean, I've had a crush before but to have one crash down on me like this... I hope she doesn't find out.. She would so hate me for being into girls... Which I apparently am...  
_

"Good night Painey..." She whispered.

"Kuut hekrd so muja..." Paine whispered back, but Rikku didn't hear. She was already asleep.

**No al-bhed translations this time... R&R but don't forget to be nice too...;)**


	3. Everything will be ok

**A/N: **Hmmm...Can't think of anything to say... Happy reading I guess )**  
**

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own anything... etc etc**  
**

**Chapter 3: Everything will be ok**

"Hey! Wake up sleepy. Time to work!" Paine heard a voice say in the distance. She didn't think too much about it though and let her warm dreams wrap around her again.

"Don't you ignore me! Wake up Painey! Or I'll have no choice but to take your covers." The voice said, now sounding like Rikku, just above her head. She opened her eyes slowly and found Rikku's face looking down at her. Paine blinked a few times and then just turned around, face down.

"Ugh, go away Rikku! I wanna sleep some more..." She told her through the pillow. A split second later she felt a cold gush of air on her body and realized that it must've been Rikku who took her covers away, leaving her in only her underwear. She turned around quickly and found Rikku standing there with a smile and a small blush.

"Give them back Rikku, I'm not going to get up now!" Paine said trying to sound dangerous. Rikku just threw the covers onto her own bed and giggled. Paine growled and sat up on the bed. _Why is she doing this to me? She was up as late as me, she should be as tired... _

"35 respect points left Rikku!" Paine said with an irritated voice. Rikku looked shocked.

"Hey! You can't take ten points just because I'm doing you a favor!" She squealed. "Oui pek sayhea!"

"How would this be doing me a favor?" Paine asked with a growl as she reluctantly started to get dressed.

"Buddy and Brother is up, they already found a sphere, aaaaaaand I thought you might want some breakfast or maybe coffee before they start yelling." She said with a hopeful smile. _Damn that's a cute smile! Now I can't be mad at her! _Paine nodded to the younger girl and started to get dressed.

"Ok let's have breakfast then... And Rikku" She added with a small smile. "If you take my covers again, I kill you.. But for now you're back at 45, with the chance to earn more of them back if you're nice today."

"Yesss!" She said and threw her fist in the air. Paine just chuckled and went down the staircase and sat down at the bar, Rikku soon joined her. They ate their breakfast while talking about nothing and everything. Ten minutes later they heard a loud noise from the speakers, almost sounding like a person speaking.

"GULLWINGS! NABUND DU DRA PNETKA!" The voice of Brother sounded, cutting like a rusty blade through their ears. _Why does he have to be so loud in the morning? He's getting hurt! _

"Can't we even have breakfast in peace? E sayh lusa uh!" Rikku yelled at the speakers. Paine just shook her head.

"Let's just go before he starts shouting again." Paine suggested with a small smile, followed by a sigh. _Because if he does, I'll kill him! _

They made their way to the bridge, getting a loud greeting as they entered. The energy gathered up by lying in bed for three days was showing a bit too much in Brothers behavior. He flapped around and screamed a good extra much, giving Paine a headache. She turned to Buddy who didn't seem quite so hysterical.

"So, what do you have for us today? A walk in the park or some excitement?" Paine asked Buddy in her usual monotone voice. Buddy just looked at Brother for a moment, who was flapping around yelling at Shinra for some reason, and shook his head.

"You're going to a small island in the vicinity of Kilika. We've picked up strong sphere waves from there, and we don't know much about the place except that it's uninhabited and have been since before Braska's calm." Buddy explained to Paine, who was about to do some serious hurting to a certain captain.

"Ok, ok just send us down there before Paine kills this vmyppanzyppan of a person!" Rikku squealed while she covered her ears to block out the argument that had broken out between Brother and Shinra. _Why does his voice have to sound like nails on a chalkboard?_

They were set off in an inflatable boat some distance from the island, the island itself being too covered in extremely tall trees to land on. When they reached the beach, they dragged the boat up and tied it to a tree. The island was rather small, but big enough to live on should you clear some of the forest away. They had been told to walk to the center of the forest, being that the waves emitted from there.

"Wow these trees are the biggest I've seen in all of Spira! No kidding there!" Rikku exclaimed as they reached the edge of the forest. Paine just looked at the little thief in front of her. The light of the sun reflected on her slightly sweaty body and in her golden hair, making her look like some shining being sent from heaven. _Damn! She is just too beautiful... _Paine thought and trailed off. Noticing what she was doing, she slapped herself mentally and landed back in Spira. Their eyes met and Paine nodded to the angel in front of her, getting a smile in response followed by a nod. They walked into the forest, weapons at the ready.

They passed through the woods, giant trees looming all around them, but without any fiend encounters. The woods got thicker and the roof of leaves didn't let much sunlight in. They found a small, overgrown path that seemed to lead into the heart of the dark forest and followed it. Paine suddenly got a feeling in her gut, and it wasn't a good one. _This being an uninhabited island, there should be more fiends. Well it may just be my imagination but something nasty might be in there._ She decided to share her thoughts with Rikku who just nodded and Paine could see her shiver, not from cold.

"This place is creepy.. Why the heck is this forest so damn BIG? I mean, these trees really make you feel like a mouse or something!" Rikku said in a low tone of voice, sounding scared. _Oh come on Rikku! We defeated Vegnagun and you even fought Sin! You can't be scared now... Even so... I get what you mean. _Paine thought and looked around at the trees, knowing exactly what Rikku meant by feeling like a mouse. She didn't like this feeling, she wasn't used to it.

As they walked along, not seeing so much as a single animal except for a few rather big insects, they started to see an opening and sunlight fall in between the trees. They looked at each other confused, thinking that they can't have walked right across the island yet. But as they emerged where the sun shone brightly they were met by a beautiful sight: A large opening where the sun could shine down upon a vine-covered set of ruined walls and what might have been huts a long time ago. In the middle of these ruins a large stone cupola rose up from out of the ground looking like a sphere, buried to the half. The stone cupola had a big hole on the side, large enough to fit more than two Ormis in. The whole area was covered in wild flowers shifting in deep shades of blue and purple, making everything look magical.

"Look Paine! It's just so beautiful!" Rikku squealed as she walked over and sat down on a piece of wall. Paine smiled and watched Rikku enter the scenery, thinking that any more beauty in the same place would not be good for her eyes. Paine resisted the urge to just walk up to her and kiss her where she sat, but after a while, the bad feeling in Paines gut came creeping back, a shiver running down her neck. _What the heck is that feeling? Why am I, Paine, big hard warrior getting the chills from a place like this?_

It was too quiet. No birds, no crickets, no nothing. Not even a gust of wind. She walked over to Rikku and put a hand on her shoulder, making her jump a bit. The blonde turned around and Paine could see her face looking a bit scared. Apparently Paine wasn't the only one with bad feelings.

"Lets get this done shall we." Paine said and got a determined nod in response. Both of them feeling very cautious, like some big predator was watching them, they made their way to the hole in the cupola, not finding any other entrance to the place where they assumed the sphere would be. As they reached the hole, they looked down: They couldn't see a thing. It was solid darkness down there. Even though the sun was shining brightly, the hole was on the shadowy side of the cupola.

Paine took out a flare from her backpack, lit it, and threw it in. It fell about ten meters before it hit the bottom and bounced, lighting the place up vaguely. For a moment they couldn't see anything down there and made the rope ready for descending. But a split second before Rikku was about to jump down, rope in hand, they started to hear a vague flapping sound, followed by another flapping of large wings. As the seconds passed, Rikku still standing on the edge looking uncertain, more and more flapping sounds could be heard from the room below, until the whole place started to tremble from the mass of wings being waved around down there.

"Rikku get back!" Paine called out just as the hole exploded from the mass of feathered bodies that tried to get out at the same time. Rikku, who had heeded Paines warning in time, screamed as the huge amount of fiends all flew out with lightning speed. As a whole lot flew out of the hole, more joined them, coming from the treetops of what seemed like the whole forest. They were pitch black and had huge beaks filled with sharp teeth They gathered in a huge flock above their heads, squeaking and skwarking amongst themselves. Paine lost count at around thirty, but knew there must've been at least twice as many, and it was no problem seeing this was not going to be a walk in the park.

"Why the heck does this always happen to us? Can you see the size of those things, they're fatter than a mega-tonberry, and so many!" Rikku squealed and made her daggers ready. Paine raised her sword as the first wave of devilish bird-fiends started to descend towards them.

After almost an hour of intense fighting, the girls had both suffered a few dozen small cuts each and they were both extremely tired. The once beautiful scenery was now littered with the slowly dissolving bodies of the fiends, but there were still a few of the big birds remaining, one of them looking almost twice as big as the rest. As one descended towards Paine she stepped to the side and sliced out with flametongue, setting the fiend ablaze.

At the same time the bigger one descended at Rikku, diving full speed towards her. Paine watched as the thief readied herself and then threw her daggers towards the attacking fiend. Another one of them dived at Paine from the other side, making her turn her eyes from Rikku for a few seconds. When the fiend was taken care of, she turned and looked at Rikku's fight.

Suddenly, as Rikku's daggers buried themselves deep in the skull of the bigger bird, before Paine could realize what had happened, another one of the bird-fiends came down from a tree and buried its claws in the blonde girl's shoulders from behind. Holding her in it's claws, it then started to ascend carrying Rikku with it. It all went so fast. Paine just watched as the bird descended, gripped Rikku, and started to lift her off the ground. _No... no... why didn't she see it? What... How could that happen I mean we defeated a lot more dangerous fiends than this... _Paine was in some sort of shock, but when she heard the girl scream in pain, she came to and started to think fast. _Damn! I saw that bird why didn't I react? What do I do? Damn! damn!_

"Paine!" The al bhed called out. "Please just kill it or something! Aaah!" She screamed in agony again, her arms immobilized by the fiend's grip. Paine then grabbed her sword with both hands, and swung it around, sending it spinning towards the bird-fiend. The blade connected with the bird's legs, chopping them right off, sending Rikku tumbling towards the ground.

"RIKKU!" Paine yelled in horror as she realized how high up she was. She ran to try and catch her, but too late. Rikku had already hit the ground hard. A loud cracking noise was heard as she connected with the stone laden path. Paine killed the last bird and then ran as fast as she could to Rikku. _Damn! Fuck! Damn! Why didn't I think? What is wrong with me today? And why am I panicking? Ah Fuck!_

"Rikku!" She called out again as she reached where the younger girl lay sprawled on the ground. Her eyes was closed and her left leg looked broken. The wounds the bird had made in her shoulders were deep and a lot of blood were flowing out. Paine cursed again and took out a hi-potion, stopping the blood flowing from the shoulder wounds. She then took her last one and it made the wounds knit themselves back together. A horrible thought then struck Paine._ Oh no! what if her back is broken! It was a high fall and...that noise! _She had to act took out a phoenix-down and used it to get Rikku's consciousness back. Paine laid Rikku's blonde head in her lap and waited for the phoenix to take effect.

"Paine...wha' happened?" Rikku whispered with a confused tone as she opened her eyes. Paine just ran her hand down her cheek and shushed her.

"Rikku, I need you to move your legs for me.. I need to know if.. if your back is broken." Paine explained carefully to the al bhed who looked really scared. She nodded and winced in pain. _Oh please let her be safe, please let her be alright! Damn it Paine stop shaking! _She realized that she was shaking and she felt something wet in her eyes. Rikku moaned a bit and then shook her head.

"I can't move...my legs...they hurt too much..." She gasped out, looking tormented. Paine felt a big relief flowing over her. _She can feel her legs, her spine is ok_. Her leg seemed to be broken though, and by the look of it in two places. She might have internal damage as well Paine thought and now couldn't stop her tears from coming._ If I only had another potion!! What do I do?_ The look of pain in Rikku's eyes was unbearable to see and she gently caressed Rikku's cheek to try and comfort her. Paine never imagined she could ever care this much for a person. As Rikku looked in her eyes, a small smile came over the wounded girl's face. Paine saw how Rikku's hand reached towards her face, but stopped half way there as she winced. She wouldn't budge though, and continued to reach up to Paines tearstained cheek. When she reached it, she brushed a few tears away from under Paines eyes and cupped her cheek.

"Don't cry Paine..." She whispered." It'll make me cry... Besides..I'll be fine...Don't you worry..." She whispered and tried to smile. Paine just took her hand and kissed the palm. She couldn't stop herself now. Her emotions had taken control.

"I'm so sorry Rikku...I should've helped you, I could've stopped this, had I just been thinking rationally!" Paine said, tears still coming. "I'm sorry..." She wispered.

"Don't be...sorry. You are here now... aren't you? You said you would... always be here for me Paine...That was the sweetest thing... anyone ever..said to me." Rikku said in a quiet voice. Paine blushed a bit, then nodded and held her hand tightly. Rikku continued, still smiling a small, vague smile.

"I...just want you...to know. I think I have a...crush on you or something...And I must say..." Rikku said, but stopped as she moaned a bit from trying to shift her position. _Is she saying what I hope she is saying? Is she feverish from the wounds or is she serious? She really...have a crush...on me? Why is she telling me this now? Damn it I have to stop crying before Brother and Buddy come here! I sent that damn signal ages ago, where the hell are they?_ Rikku took a pause and breathed deeply. Paine just looked at her with a deep blush and an unbelieving expression. She wasn't sure what to think or do at the moment, her heart raced. Rikku however just continued.

"I...bet you will hate me now..." she said, looking sad. "But I just... had to tell you...seenig you worried like this..and... You've been so... cute to me lately, and I almost think I'm... falling in love with you..." She turned her eyes away at the last sentence, looking ashamed she said it. Paine however, didn't believe her ears._ She...she really likes me? Loves me? It's not some cruel joke? No, she is in too much pain to be trying to trick me... But how...when?_ But when she saw the look of fear and shame in Rikku's eyes, she didn't hesitate anymore. She let her emotions talk for her as she gently turned Rikku's face to hers and caressed her cheek.

With a few tears still in her eyes, she gently sat Rikku up in her lap, so that her head was level with Paines. Rikku winced a bit from being moved, but Paine just looked deeply into the swirling green eyes of the wounded angel in front of her, and saw fear, but also unbelieving anticipation. She closed her eyes and gently brushed her lips against Rikku's. As Rikku returned the kiss shyly, Paine deepened the kiss a bit. After a few seconds, they broke apart. Tearstained crimson eyes met swirling green orbs. Without hesitation, Paine then spoke her mind in a quiet tone.

"I love you Rikku... I know this isn't the best time for this but... I have been in love with you for some time now..." She paused as she saw the look of both shock and happiness spreading on the blonde's face."And as I said, I'll always be here for you.. and you can't imagine how glad I am you told me that you...you like me too..." Paine whispered with an almost shy smile. _I'm not dreaming! This is really happening! She's smiling...  
_

"E... drehg E muja oui duu Painey..." Rikku whispered and Paine kissed her again, deeper this time. After that they just sat there in the sun, the dark warrior with her golden angel in her arms, Rikku's pain almost forgotten in the rush of emotions so suddenly awakened in the two girls. Suddenly a voice echoed in the clearing. A voice very much resembling a noise, calling out for the two.

"What are you doing? Did you find sphere? Where is it? WHY DIDN'T YOU ANSWER THE COMM LINK!?" The disgusting voice of Brother sounded behind them. Rikku and Paine just sat there, Rikku still in Paines arms, not responding. When Brothers questions got even louder, they heard a thumping sound followed by a groan of pain from Brother and the voice of Shinra.

"Hey! they couldn't use the comm link because the trees here is blocking the signal, I told you that already. They were lucky the distress signal has a booster or we would've had to search the entire woods." Shinra said to Brother, silencing him. Buddy's voice was heard right after.

"And, they probably didn't get the sphere, get into trouble or had some other problem. Otherwise they wouldn't have used the distress signal now would they? How stupid can you be?" This was followed by a lot of resigned growling from Brother, but it really shut him up. Which was a "very good improvement of the situation" as Rikku whispered to Paine, making her chuckle softly and plant another kiss on her loved one. She then stood up, carrying the smaller girl in her arms, and started to walk out of the clearing. When she passed Brother, he looked at her with a strange expression and started yelling.

"Why are you leaving? Sphere is still here! Find it!" He said, making Paine a "little" mad. She walked up to him, fire in her eyes. _He's lucky I've got her in my arms or he would have to say hello to my fist!_

"Rikku is hurt! She could have D-I-E-D! I'm taking her to the ship..." Paine said in a tone that would make Vegnagun whimper in fear. She started to walk again, but stopped at the edge of the forest and turned around.

"The sphere should be in what's left of the stone cupola thing! All the fiends should be dead by now and even you should be able to handle it!" She called back to the boys, she smiled again and started to walk out of the forest towards the Celsius. _Well I guess there will always be sun after the rain... I sound like an old geezer...But it seems we really have been slacking off lately... This could've gone really bad... But really, today...life is good! _She looked down at the now sleeping angel in her arms and smiled, kissing her on the forehead. _Everything will be ok, I'll take care of you._

_oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo _

**There it is, chapter 3. I hope you like it as much as i did when i wrote it ;) I know the paragraphs are a bit long and stuff but ah dun' care! I'll update in...hmmm... a week maybe! (I hope)**_  
_


	4. And just so you know

**A/N: **Well, here it is! I managed to squeeze out another chapter through the enormous piles of homework:) Again, it's kind'a long but I'm pretty pleased with this kawaii chapter, so I'll just be quiet and let you start reading!**  
**

**Chapter 4: And just so you know...  
**

Rikku felt pummeled. She woke up slowly, feeling like her right leg was made of stone. Her head hurt a little and her chest felt terrible. As she opened her eyes and tried to sit up, a wave of pain flowed through her right side. She let out a small moan.

"Wait, I'll help you." A voice said to her right. She looked and saw Paine stand up from a chair beside her. Paine walked over and carefully lifted her up into a sitting position. She looked at the crimson-eyed warrior, who gave her a warm smile and a soft look. Then she suddenly remembered everything that had happened, up until she fell and hit something very hard. After that, everything became a little blurry. She remembered seeing Paine's face, eyes filled with tears, looking down upon her. She remembered herself telling her how she liked her and how Paine's lips then softly touched her's, she remembered hearing Paine saying she loved her too. After that everything was just blank. _Did that really happen? It all seems so... unlikely. Like something out of a dream..._ Rikku thought and shook her head. She had to ask Paine, it was the only way to find out.

"Paine... What happened after I hit the ground?" Rikku asked with a bit of confusion in her voice. Her head spinning a bit, she looked over at Paine who looked at her with a shocked expression.

"You...you don't remember?" She asked, looking a bit uncertain of what to do.

"Well...I remember some things, but they're just so... like they were taken from a dream or something..." Rikku said and paused..."A very good dream..." She added quietly with a small blush. She then looked at Paine and saw her face relieved, with a warm, but slightly nervous smile. The warrior then leaned in close to her face and whispered as she blushed.

"Let me refresh your memory then." She just said and without warning, she kissed Rikku softly. Rikku felt a wave of joy and warmth flow through her and she returned the kiss. When they broke apart, they just looked into each others eyes._ Oh thank Spira! It was for real. Oh she's so cute! _Rikku shook her thoughts away and smiled at Paine who still looked slightly euphoric, and kissed her, deeper this time and she gently slipped her tongue into Paines mouth as Paine's entered her's. When they finally broke for air, Rikku whispered to Paine:

"You're a really good kisser, you know that Dr.P?" and she giggled a little.

"You're not so bad yourself." Paine answered quietly and beamed. THIS was the most happy she had ever seen the warrior since they met.

Rikku was just about to say something witty, but when she saw the emotion radiating from the deep ruby eyes of the warrior, she stopped herself for a moment. She didn't need to hear her say the words to know that the silver haired girl had been longing for this moment for a long time. So instead of ruining that moment, she just leaned in to hug her friend. Which wasn't a very good idea.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow!" The thief exclaimed as her left side burned and Paine chuckled and shook her head. Seeming to have known what the blonde intended, she closed the distance and embraced the younger girl in a careful hug and gave her another kiss.

As the kiss parted, Rikku started to wonder about the previous day.

"So, what happened yesterday, did I miss anything after I fell asleep?"

"Well, you've only been out for about 24 hours , you went out about this time yesterday... so you haven't really missed anything..." Paine answered and then continued. "But anyway, besides the news about well... us, I've got some good news and some kinda bad news... Which do you want first?" Paine added, smiling as she said "us" but then looking a little more serious. _Oh poopie! I hate bad news!_

"Bad first, bad first!" She said to a now serious-looking Paine.

"Well, the thing is: You've broken your right leg in three places and got a crack in your left. You've got a concussion and three broken ribs. The internal damage and the bruising is gone though..." She paused for a bit then shook her head. "You were lucky and you'll be up in two days, but even though you could've walked around the ship with the cruches today, Shinra used them to fix an engine problem so they don't exist anymore. So it'll be the bed for two days..." Paine said and sighed._ Ah tynh ed, I hate to lie in bed! Maybe I should be happy that I'm still alive, but this still isn't fair! Stupid Potions working so slowly on bones!!_

"Well, what's the good news?" Rikku asked and pouted at the fact that she'd be trapped in bed for two whole days, which with her hyperactivity, would be hard.

"Because of the injury we're getting one day off after you've healed. Aaand, right as we speak, we're on our way to Besaid. Yuna called and got it out of Brother what happened and is making him swing by so she can visit you!" When Paine was finished, Rikku didn't feel quite so bummed out anymore. The thought of her cousin visiting really spirited her up and made her want to jump up and say "Yesss!" , but she realized that it would hurt like heck. So instead she motioned for Paine to lean closer. As she did, she kissed the silver-haired girl quickly and smiled.

"Yay! Yunie is coming here!" She exclaimed with excitement in her voice. But then she turned a wondering face.

"Do you think we should tell her about...you know...us?" Rikku asked carefully.

"Well, I have been too anxious about if there really was an us.. you know... I was really afraid that you were just...delusional or something yesterday... From the wounds, you know. So I haven't really thought about it..." She said looking very honest, wich made Rikku feel a little bad about sleeping for so long. "But you know, if we tell her, what if she doesn't want to see us anymore or something?" She said in a more serious tone.

"Well... She is my cousin and I don't wanna have secrets from her..." Rikku paused and considered Paines last words, but decided to be strong. "If she is disgusted or doesn't wanna know us because of this... I don't care! You know... she'll just have to accept it or take a hike!" Rikku smiled and without thinking, tried to give Paine another hug. "Uf, uf, uf, uf! Tysh nepc!" She squealed and rubbed her sore right side. Paine just chuckled and smiled at the younger girl.

"I'm glad you feel that way Rikku... And when you get out of that bed... I'm taking you for a whole day in Luca, my treat, we do anything you want to... We hava a... a date?" The warrior's cheeks got a little pink as she looked at the thief hopefully. This look made Rikku think. _Wow.. I really thought Paine would be more confident with this stuff, maybe she's not so experienced as her good looks make you think._ _Come to think of it I've never asked about this kinda stuff. But she'll probably hurt me if I do._ She snapped back and smiled like a sun.

"Of course I wanna go!" Rikku said excited and Paine kissed her once again._  
_

"Good, then it's time for you to rest and get better." Paine said in a business-like tone, and gave her another smooch on the lips. She then felt the warrior place another kiss on her forehead but the al bhed shook her head.

"But... I don't wanna..." She said in a childish tone.

"Yes you do." Paine replyed. "Otherwise the potions won't work properly, and it will take twice the time to heal you. We'll have Yuna here in a couple of hours and I suggest you rest as much as you can."

"Ok, but only if I can use you as a pillow..." Rikku said and smiled innocently, giving her a puppy-eye look._ She will never be able to resist that! _Paine raised an eyebrow, but Rikku just nodded.

"Oh...Ok... But what if one of the guys come up here?" Paine said, blushing a deep shade of raspberry.

"I don't care! Just com'ere!" Rikku said playfully, blushing a little herself. She wondered for a second if this was moving too quickly, but when Paine undid her X clasp and dropped her studded leather top, then took her boots and gloves off, Rikku looked into the crimson eyes of the blushing warrior. _Wow... Why didn't I realise Paine were so HOT before? Well I realised, but didn't think of her like.. this.._ Paine then carefully shuffled in next to Rikku, who lay down again.

Paine pillowed up into a half sitting position as Rikku snuggled in as close as she could without hurting herself. She then lay her head on Paines chest as the warrior wrapped her arms around her protectively. Rikku then noticed something that made her blush fiercely. She was totally nude, except for the cast around her right leg and bandages that were wrapped around her chest and left leg. She didn't say anything though, as Paine seemed to be fine with it._ Oh... so this is why Paine's face became so damn red... But really, to be honest... this actually is pretty nice, lying nude next to Paine that is...too bad she isn't nude too... I can't believe I'm already thinking about her like that! I'm such a perv!_

As Rikku lay there, admitting her devious thoughts to herself, listening to Paine's heartbeat and soft breathing, she soon felt sleep tugging her down. But after what to Rikku only felt like a few minutes of sleep, a soft "Oh my!" woke her up. She looked around, and saw Yuna at the top of the stairs wearing an expression of bewilderment at seeing the two in the same bed. Rikku didn't notice her look though and just waved for her to come up.

"Hey Yunie!" She whispered, smiling brightly. She felt Paine shift under her and noticed that she was still sleeping._ Oh, this is so the wrong way to let her know but... I can't resist! Time to freak Yunie out! _She carefully turned to face the sleeping warrior and kissed her softly. Her crimson eyes slowly opened and Rikku could feel the kiss being returned. Yuna however just stood there, a look of complete shock and confusion now showing.

"Now that is a better way to wake me up than to pull my covers." Paine mumbled as they broke the kiss. She stretched and yawned, they both then turned to Yuna. The look on her face made the blonde giggle and her silver haired warrior just shook her head and laughed a little.

"Morning Yuna..." She said and stretched again. Rikku stretched the best she could, ribs and legs throbbing.

"Owie! Umm, so what's up?" Rikku asked Yuna like nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. She had decided to pay her back a little for just leaving them a month ago. Yuna looked at them with a confused and very lost expression.

"I... just came to... see how you were doing..." She answered in a hesitant voice. Paine sat up carefully and swung herself out of the bed. Rikku grabbed her upper arm and let her fingers trail down to her hand as the warrior slowly pulled out of bed. Paine didn't say anything to Yuna but gave Rikku a wicked smile and a look that said: "I agree, lets mess around with her!"

"And I bet you wanna know all the nasty details about how it happened." Paine said with a little smile.

"How what happened exactly?" Yuna asked nervously. _Dang it, she's gonna tell her.._

"Well, the mission yesterday of course. All about how your blond little cousin ended up all broken... What else would there be to tell you about?" Paine added the last sentance with a barely concealed smile. _Oh she's evil! Hehe! _Rikku giggled in her mind.

"So Yunie! Do you wanna hear the whole story or just the part where I broke my legs, ribs and got a concussion along with two big holes in my shoulders?" Rikku asked casually.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere... tell me all of it..." Yuna replyed, still looking at Rikku with an unanswered question in her eyes, but sat down in the empty chair beside the bed, as Paine had placed herself on the bed again, at Rikku's feet. Paine looked at the thief with a questioning eyebrow raised and Rikku nodded at her. Paine then told her all about the mission, about the forest and the opening, about the battle up to where Rikku slammed into the ground.

"WHAM! And when I came to, Painei9 had killed the rest of the fiends and had started to take care of me. I was pretty scared, 'cause Paine thought my back was broken and stuff..." Rikku continued for her. "But then we just made out and she got me back to the ship, leaving Brother and Buddy to do the rest." She added without stressing any words in particular, looking at Yuna to see if she reacted to the "made out" part.

"What was on the sphere?" Yuna asked, reacting a little to what Rikku said, but seemed determined not to say anything. This only made Rikku more determined to force a reaction out of her. Paine however, just answered Yuna's question, as Rikku actually didn't know herself what was on the sphere.

"Well, the sphere was very old, but it contained a long recording about that place. That stone cupola, actually was a temple long ago. In the recordings, they talked about how they had to destroy the fayth because the aeon was too evil or something." Paine told them.

"The aeon's was called... Diablos or something I think... And all those fiends we fought, was guardian beasts for the temple's trials." Paine finished. "So, you think it's worth anything?" Yuna wondered.

"The old New Yevonites would probably want it and the location of the island. They're doing a lot of relic searching these days..." Rikku told her silver-haired warrior. "I bet we can get a hellofa lot of gil from them for the sphere and info!" She added with a bright smile and a nice big wink. Paine smiled back at her and started to give Rikku's un-casted foot a soft massage, surprising the smaller girl.

"So, where do you keep the man?" Paine asked Yuna. Rikku too wondered where her old friend was, she had after all been through a lot with him. And even though he kind of stole Yuna, she still kind of wanted to see him and say hi. Paine didn't seem to like him too much though, she didn't say why either...

"He should be here soon... Him and the guys were practising their "Jechtshots". Only he and Datto can pull it off yet though." And as Yuna said the last word, they heard steps entering the cabin. "That's him now!" Yuna exclaimed and looked as excited as a kid on a festival. When the blond blitzer appeared at the top of the stairs Yuna ran off to meet him. When they connected, she gave him a deep, long kiss. Rikku looked at her crimson-eyed woman at her feet. She looked back at her and they both shook their heads and laughed quietly. Rikku propped up a pillow towards the wall on her right side and motioned for Paine to come and sit next to her.

"Come here! I don't want you to feel left out just because you weren't a guardian." Rikku said, bacause Paine often looked like she felt left out whenever they hung out with old pilgrimage friends. "And if they can go on like that!" She motioned towards the two people looking like they were eating eachother's faces. "Then so can we! Please... It would freak them out sooo much if they stopped doing that and found us doing the same thing! We said we would let them know, you know." She added in a pleading whisper. Paine shook her head, but put on another wicked smirk.

"Sure, I guess I won't be able to stay so reserved anymore if I'm going to be together with you now will I." The now obviously more cheerful warrior replied. Rikku shook her head "no you won't" and motioned for her to come closer. Paine made her way to the place beside Rikku and as she came into reach, Rikku ran her fingers through Paine's silver hair.

"I'm so glad I'm able to make you so happy... You're so beautiful, you know that?" Rikku told her beloved Paine and peered deep into her crimson eyes. This seemed to be just what Paine needed to hear, as she attacked Rikku with a deep and passionate kiss. She felt Paines fingers in her hair as the kiss continued for what seemed like an eternity. When they broke for air, Rikku made the paus short as she met the older girls soft lips again.

"Hey whoa! Now that's something you forgot to tell me about!" The young man's voice sounded, followed by a loud gasp from Yuna.

"Well I didn't..." Yuna stuttered. "Hey! Just what's going on here?" Rikku heard her ask them in an angry voice, but she didn't break from Paine until they both were all out of oxygen. When they broke apart, they both looked at eachother for a second.

"Oh damn it Rikku! E naymmo tu muja oui." Paine told Rikku and gave her a last short kiss. Rikku then couldn't help but to giggle when she thought about Yuna and her blitzing boyfriend watching the whole thing. Paine smiled and shook her head, blushing cutely. Then they both turned to face the audience.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I thought you guys weren't looking..." Paine answered Yuna sarcastically. Rikku couldn't hold back a giggle.

"Yeah, we just... got a little carried away there, since you two looked so disgust.. eh I mean sexy together." Rikku got out between her giggle-attacks. Paine couldn't hold it in anymore either and let her new beautiful laughter out as Yuna just stood there with an inquiring look and her arms folded across her chest.

"Well Yunie, to answer your question: It's exactly what it looks like." Rikku told her cousin. Yuna and Tidus walked up to the bed.

"And if I think it looks like you two are like... lovers or something. Am I right?" Tidus asked them with a little smirk.

"Well... " Paine started. They both looked at eachother and Rikku gave Paine a nod. "Well, I have actually felt for Rikku for some time now but I haven't really.. done anything like that yet so..." She trailed off as she seemed to get a bit embarassed. "But yeah she suddenly told me she likes me yesterday, when she was all banged up." The silver haired girl explained.

"And I didn't really know what I felt until actually the day before that, so we haven't really done anything except the kinda stuff you just saw." Rikku told them and interlocked fingers with the warrior. They both now waited for some kind of either acceptance or rejectance and looked Yuna hopefully in the eyes.

"Well... I can't say I'm bursting of happiness. I mean of all the ways you could have told me you chose to... make out in front of me.. But if you two really love eachother, which I almost, kind of know you do, I don't have any problem at all with you both being... girls and all." Just as Yuna told them this, Paine stood up and gave her a big bear hug. _Well... New Paine seems to be a lot better at expressing her feelings! _Rikku thought and giggled at Paine's behaviour.

"O...K?" Yuna exclaimed looking very confused again.

"I don't know.." Paine told her through the hug. "I just didn't expect you to just accept us like that." She continued and let her go. "And as for the hug... No I'm not sick, I think it's just a side effect of having one of the best days of my life." The silver haired one continued and Yuna lit up a bit. "Well I'm glad for you" Yuna replied.

Rikku was starting to feel left out now and reached for her warrior to have a seat next to her in the bed again. "You're right, enough of the mushy Paine for one day." Paine told her thief with a chuckle. "So what did you do to get busted up like that?" The man in the room suddenly inquired of his old friend.

Yuna and Tidus sat down on Paine's bed while the Rikku and Paine remained on Rikku's. They told the story about the recent mission again for the blitzer to hear and when they were done they just stayed on the beds, chit-chatting and catching up to whatever the others had been doing the last month. After what seemed like several hours, Paine looked at her watch.

"Who's hungry?" She asked and they all raised their hands. "Well, seems like it's dinner time then." She said and went down to get some food from barkeep. When she got back, she was carrying all four plates of food skillfully and gave them one each. When they were finished with their meals, Rikku started to feel drowsy and a little light headed. _Heeeey... Wha'..?_

"Fruy... fryd'c rybbahehk du sa?" Rikku said, her head now spinning, forcing her to lie down. Paine removed the their plates from the bed and pulled Rikku's covers up to her chest.

"Tuh'd funno, ed'c zicd y cmaabehk-budeuh... To make you rest and get better without fussing, a special 2 day sleeper, so when you wake up, you'll be all better." Paine explained with a smile._ She friggin' drugged me? Oh, fryd y sayeha! _Rikku, who couldn't quite keep her eyes open any longer just mumbled.

"Oh, you're so gonna get it when I wake up!" The last thing she saw was Paine's head leaning in closely to whisper.

"I'm looking forward to it. And just so you know... I love you... See you in two days." Paine whispered loud enough only for Rikku to hear. Rikku then fell asleep to dream about pink clouds and lots of sweets.

**Well... Wasn't it kind of a cute chapter? Well I think so anyways... Reviews, readers... Reviews! Say anything, just tell me how I did! The next chapter might take some time as school has started out it's full attack on my private life. I'm defending as best I can but.. Ah well you get the picture... Love you all!  
**


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